Gareth Southgate’s England are writing a new story in Russia

England progressed to the quarter-finals of the World Cup after a penalty shootout victory over Colombia in Moscow. Gareth Southgate’s side have shaken off the burden of history – who knows where this might end now?

“The lads have the chance to write their own stories now,” Southgate had said on the eve of the game. Even he could not have known how much this young team would turn history on its head in Moscow. His players not only won the country’s first knockout game in 12 years but did so thanks to England’s first ever penalty shootout victory at the World Cup.

The mood had been fatalistic and also understandably so. England had not just shed their last 5 shootouts but they had already won this video game when, Harry Kane ‘s second-half fine apparently having actually sent them via to the quarter-finals only for Yerry Mina ‘s stoppage-time equaliser to transform all that. It was a huge test of their psychological willpower.